NFL Draft 2013: Eric Fisher Says He’s Willing to Play Right Tackle
By Josh Hill
The draft is barring down on us and we’re not just about a week away. It’s still a mystery as to who will be the No. 1 pick, but we’re starting to get a good idea of who it might be. Should they not trade down, the Kansas City Chiefs will likely take an offensive tackle first overall, and that will either be Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel or Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher — both of whom are left tackles.
The current conundrum with the Chiefs is that they already have a left tackle in Brendan Albert and he’s explicitly stated he will not play right tackle for the Chiefs. Eric Fisher doesn’t share that sentiment and has come forth to say he is willing to slide over to right tackle in the NFL depending on where he’s drafted.
“Oh yeah, I think I’m a very versatile player,” Fisher said on KCSP with Dave Parkins. “I played left tackle in college and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to play it again, but I know there’s some great tackles in the league right now, and as a rookie if I had to come in and play right tackle I’d have no problem with that.”
This bodes very well for Fisher’s chances of getting drafted by the Chiefs, as their situation with Brendan Albert is one they don’t want to see get out of control. Fisher’s willingness to slide over to right tackle means that the Chiefs not only get to make Albert happy, they get two top tackles on each end of their line and tackles that are happy about being where they are.
Fisher told KCSP about his visit with Kansas City, and what he had to say gives more insight into what the Chiefs are thinking for next week’s draft.
“We spent maybe an hour and a half on the board and just learning bits and pieces of their offense. I’d get up on the board and Coach Reid would be chiming in asking questions,” Fisher said. “Then we went out and did a good workout, and I have to say it went very well. I was very happy with the workout and the way things went.”
Alex Smith was costly to acquire, and one way to avoid having the trade blow up on them is to make sure Smith is adequately protected. But just because the Chiefs may now be leaning towards Fisher, the drama and mystery continues. Fisher is a top pick, but the Chiefs may be able to trade down and acquire more picks while still getting Fisher.
We’re about a week away from the draft, and the drama is only continuing to build.